Born and raised in Canada, Alex Trebek started as a reporter on Canada's public network, CBC radio and TV, in 1961. Five years later he was offered the quizmaster position on a game show for Canadian high school kids, Reach for the Top. He left that show in 1973, and bounced across several other Canadian game shows until he was beckoned south to America, hosting NBC's The Wizard of Odds and several other short-run game shows. He hit the jackpot with a revival of Merv Griffin's Jeopardy in 1984.

Trebek raises thoroughbred horses on his California ranch. He has gone on several USO tours for American troops. Trebek was sued in 2000 for scuffling with an airline employee who tried to enforce luggage size limits, but witnesses -- and an airport security video -- shot holes in her claims, and the case was dismissed.